Sorry for my terrible english [:\'(]

IMHO, the sound quality depends on a full system, and not on the CD player only.

So, if You will replace the Beocenter part ONLY (Beocenter 2300->Beosound 4), then You will change the CD player ONLY in Your system as the Beolab 4000s are active speakers with the built in amplifiers!

This means, IMHO there will be surely not as big difference in the sound quality as much You will pay for this solution.

Thanks.

Does anyone else have any different opinions?

Jay

By far,the differences in sound are down to the speakers used. Notice  that I did not say sound quality!

Having listened to most types of B&O CD players I can honestly say that I cannot notice much difference, with the exception of the CD50, which does sound warmer and more analogue. I have not heard the CDX series so cannot comment.

Beware that you don't let your ears be governed or mis-led, in part, by what your eyes see!!

Much is up to the dac used. The Beosounds/centers have the pre-amp stage, so there will be differences in the sound.

Now how much and will it be better/worse is much up to personal preference.

If you're spending £1500+ on a speaker/amplifier combo (ie, BeoLab 4000s), I'd want to feed it the best signal possible!

In much the same way you wouldn't feed your BeoVision 7-55 signals from a VHS machine, I wouldn't feed your BeoLab 4000s, 3s etc... the signals from a computer's built in $4 sound chip, through a preamp to which you've made no considerations as far as sound quality goes. The final sound which reaches your ears is the sum of EVERY part of your sound system, right from the original source of the music (CD, vinyl, MP3 etc...), through the bit which adjusts the volume (the preamp built into BeoSounds, BeoVisions etc...), the speakers, how the speakers are mounted, the acoustics of the room in which you listen, and where in the room you listen from.

Usually, the bad or mediocre sounding systems I listen to are driven with bad sources. I've heard some really amazing kit sound absolutely rubbish because it's not being fed a good sound in the first place. This is why you *should* take the sound of a BeoSound or BeoCenter into consideration when choosing your system. Not that any of the BeoSounds are poor performers, they're all very good, but some are much better than others!

-duplicate post-

Alex wrote:

The sound quality certainly does vary across BeoSounds, I always thought the BeoSound 4 was the better sounding player for CDs to my ears.

 

FWIW, my CD7000 is actually one of the best digital sources I've listened to...

Correct! The BS4 has excellent sound. There was a huge difference when i tried a Beosound Ouverture (also like the 2300) after using the BS4 for so long. Same also applies to the sound from older beovisions. I have just moved house and was smacking myself in the head when i realised that i had been missing out on so much detail from Beolab 9's through a Beovision 3 as oppossed to the BC2 it's all with.

Beobike;

I just saw your post. Apparently I am just ahead of your experience by 2 months.

Our BS 3200 began having clamper problems in September or October. It would not open  to accept a CD, but the masterlink and radio features worked fine. This unit works primarily as an HTPC sound source.

I travelled out of town for a month in November on business, thought about the BS 3200 repair time versus it's age, and decided to purchase a Beosound 4 in Europe. For our North American members this is a DAB+ model.

The old BS 3200 was unplugged between a pair of BL 4000 speakers, and was " simply " replaced by the new BS 4.  ( Plugging the connections inside the base of the BS 4 is not quite as simple as with the back of the BS 3200 ). The BS 3200 remains valuable to us for another 220-240V location, and thusly entered the repair shop.

SUBJECTIVE SOUND QUALITY:

Same ear-level speaker location, and the same sitting location for us on the couch. 

My wife and I notice a distictive crispness and clarity to Radio, SD card, and N.RADIO+ N.MUSIC. Adjusting the bass and loudness up to max on the BS 4, this clarity remains.  

I would offer that the experience is similar from watching & listening to television using RCA connections, or standard broadcasting, and then performing the same viewing and listening using HDMI. A very good digital sound improvement, with emphasis on treble clarity. We can distinguish more instruments in certain layered music ( L' Orfeo - Jordi Savall ) than we could before.

ADDITONAL:

We have Masterlinked the house, with BL 2000 speakers in most rooms. One can now listen to different sources in rooms, from that playing on the BS 4 unit. Thus upstairs we can access Radio, when the BS 4 is playing SD music below in the Living Room.

The BS 4 graphics can be read easier, and the design looks very good on glass, teak, or granite. This is a relatively new unit for B&O, and there are more features or options possible according to the Beocare representative I have spoken to.

I am happy with the purchase, my wife is over the purchase shock ( Aside from a subdural hematoma or two, I have recovered ) and I would reccommend this unit with any stereo speaker combination as a noticeable improvement.

I wonder how it would sound when the 2300 comes back from the repair shop.

Quote: "My wife and I notice a distictive crispness and clarity to Radio, SD card, and N.RADIO+ N.MUSIC. Adjusting the bass and loudness up to max on the BS 4, this clarity remains."

Thanks Swiss for sharing your impressions regarding your new BS4 and the 'your old' BS3200.

I am also considering to change my BS3000 for the BS4. I also felt that, at least soundwise, one should notice a (considerable) improvement with the BS4.

You mention improvements with Radio, SD card, and N.RADIO+ N.MUSIC. Do you also experience the same when playing CD's?

Johan